Lamp



Jan. 30, 1940. J. w. DAEHLER 2,188,623

LAMP

Original Filed July 17, 1934 45 consists in'general of certain combinations of mounting diaphragmill; at'the channel 9' the Patented Jan. 30, 1940' v v 2 1 23);

entree snags- Arc-m orncsg Original application July 17, 1934, .Serial No. 735,623. Divided and this application July 2, 1936, Serial No. 88,500. RenewedJanuary 30,

1939 v Claims. (01."240-11) Thisinvention relates to lamps, and more par- Figure 4 is: ahorizontal sectional detail View ticularly to lamps adapted to withstand shocks, showinghow the tail light; body may be flexed jars' andthe vibration incidental to or attendor temporarily distorted for purposes of lampi ing'up on their use upon vehicles, moving maglobe replacement: aswellas for-purposes 'of' 're-i 5"chinery and the like, and in fact in any posiceiving and withstanding: sho'cksfand impacts' 6" tion where a lamp is apt to be subjected to such without damage or 'failure'xinits functioning:

usage as would tend to extinguish the light fur- The partsinth'e several figures are designated nis'hed'thereby or otherwise injure the lamp or by reference characters. v 5 partsthereof! Referring with particularity to the drawing,

10 This" application is a division of my co-pending 'in the embodiment of" the invention therein- 10 application Serial No. 735,623, filed July 17, 1934, shown,-A designates a lamp casing orbody for'med for'Lamps'. ofresilient, yielding and cushioning materi'alg A'particular field of usefulness for the lamp is such as'rubber of the proper'flexibility and hard- I inthe automotive field, where the shocks and mess to permit distortionunderth'eQpressurebf l5" vibrations incident to the travelof a motor vesevere impacts-orbs? Pulling atthe casing mouth-" hicle over rough roads or due to collisions and with the fingers and thumb topermit the removal-E contacts with other vehicles cause the rapid deof an axiallyprojected' andextended'lens, B1110 struction of the filament in the electric globes designates" an electric" light globe or'illuininating' ordinarily depended upon for the illumination means,D designates'yielding and cushioning sup-y I ofthe roadway and asdanger signals to be obporting meansfor'the removable electric"glob -5,201 served by the drivers of other vehicles and the C,E designateselectricalenergy supplying'means, public generally. Inasmuch as the extinguishandF designates'means'for'supporting'the casing ment of the tail 'light' or other warning lights, not A audits-associated and combined features from directlyvisible to the driver of a motor vehicle a vehicle'frame member, body orother place 'of 25. equipped with the same, frequently results in attachment; the supporting means'F'being shown serious accidents, it is one of the principal obas adaptedjfor ready connection with or discorijects of the present invention to provide a-safenection'from both the casing or body A or the ty lamp for usein such positions in which the vehicle-member-indicated atG. delicate filament, as well as all other lamp por- The casingA is shown in this'preferredem-g tions are, as far as possible, insured against bodiment of the invention as ofgenerally cylin-'- 9 damage or destruction. dricall form and open at one end, as at a, where A further object of the invention is to provide the cylindrical peripheralfwall 8 'is'prov'id'ed with a lamp adapted for use in' the gun 'tu'rretsof a'fiexible'yielding resilient lens-retaining inward-1 water craft, and like places and positions, and lyrdirected lip?! which lies outwardly of an in;

which may be subjected, without damage, to the ternal annular. orfcircular channel '9" formed 'for" 1; violet shocks occasioned by the firing of heavy the reception of and to snugly house'thefianged artillery or ordinance of any kind whatsoever. rearward peripheralportion I fl'ofthe lens B, The' With the above andother objects in view, incylindrical outer-casing wall t' 'is'shown as thick-j" cluding the provision of "a lamp in which the enedinwardly of the channelj9"'andias'of uni:

40 globe or filament carrying element is cushioned form thicknessTthroughoutthe length ofthei'n 40:21: or yieldably mounted within a casing as well as ternal lamp-chamber formed at A, the integral being readily removable from such casing for resilient rubberbody' or'casing Aterminating in purposes of replacement or substitution without a relatively thin integrally-formed "cushioning the" use of any tools whatsoever, the invention vibration-resisting lamp-supporting or lamp-- partsrhereinaiter fully described, shown inthe thickened wall, shownfat l2,'fo'rms a seat I2 for drawingand particularly claimed. 1 the-inner fiat annularface-H formed at the Inthe drawing: lensfi'ange portion l0}: I Figure 1 is avertical side elevation showing a The diaphragm, constituting the end wall of vehicle lamp such as a tail light; constructed" the casingoppositethelens, is centrally apertured 507* and'organizedto embody the invention; at H" to accommodate the damp-supporting Figure 2 is a central vertical sectional detail means D; i f v view of the tail light shown in Figure 1; This diaphragm .ll 'isshown 10f 'mucha'greater Figure 3 is a face view 'of the tail light shown diameter than thefglobe ,supportingjmeans D in-the-other-figures; whichiswmounted thereon, and consequentlypres 553:

sents a relatively great area of yielding, resilient rubber in sheet form, held in stretched condition and supported at its edges by the integrally formed thick cylindrical wall 8.

The resilient casing A is shown as having a circumferential relatively broad and shallow supporting means receiving channel 8a formed therein to accommodate the supporting means F and provide for the ready attachment of the resilient casing A thereto or the release of the same therefrom.

The yielding and cushioning and shock-absorbing diaphragm upon which the globe-mounting means D is supported provides against any shocks to the lamp and its filament. Such mounting means D is shown as a metallic lamp-socket M which comprises a pair of opposed spaced arm members l5 of accurate cross-sectional form adapted to snugly embrace a lamp-globe base between them, and which arms extend longitudinally of the axis of the casing A from a transverse base plate or disc portion I 6 with which they are preferably formed. This base plate lies against the inner face of the resilient diaphragm H, and a neck 86 extending through the aperture of the diaphragm connects the base plate with an annular flange it" at the outer face of the diaphragm. Each globe-embracing arm has a notch I! formed therein in one of its longitudinal edges, and each notch extends first lateraly inward, and then toward the open mouth of the socket l8 as at IT. These notches are formed at diametrically opposite points in the socket in order that each may receive one of a pair of diametrically opposite pins I9 arranged to extend laterally of the globe-base it of the means C, as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art. Slidably mounted between the arm members I5 is a piston-like member or apertured disc 20 formed of insulating material. This disc 20 is normally pressed towards the mouth of the socket by a. coil spring 2!.

The illuminating means C is shown as a small globe of glass 22,. having an electrically lighted filament therein and mounted upon the base l9, this lamp being of the conventional type. The base makes contact with the socket arms and the second contact is made by a central base contact point 23 which engages a contact point at the corresponding face of the disc. A circuit wire 24 extends from the socket base to the channel 8a where it contacts with the'metallic supporting means F, and through the medium of which it is grounded upon the vehicle frame.'

The globe may be inserted in the socket in the usual manner. r

The means E may comprise in addition to the wire 24, a flexible cable 25 which terminates at its one end in the disc contact point 27; the other ,end of the cable may be connected in circuit in the usual manner.

The means F is shown as a one-piece metallic strap 28, which has a circular loop 28 partly surrounding the casing A and which lies in the. channel 8a in engagement with the circuit wire 24. Each terminus of the strap is bent outwardly from the loop as at 28 where the parallel spaced portions are apertured to receive a clamping bolt 29 having a nut 38 for tightening the strap. Beyond the parallel portions each strap end is bent to conform to thevehicle frame and apertured to receive an attachment screw or bolt 30' for securingthe same to the frame at G.

When a lamp is to be replaced by a fresh one, it is only necessary to work or pull the resilient flexible material at the lens-retaining lip 9 outwardly, the lip readily yielding under such treatment by the fingers andthumb of one hand, and work the lens out of its socket with the fingers and thumb of the other hand through the open mouth of the casing, the projected and extended lens front being especially adapted and formed to facilitate such removal and furnishing the necessary leverage for a prying action.

To adapt the lens for this dual purpose, the outer surface may be in the form of aparaboloid or of approximately seini-ovoidal form, the blunt lens point lying far outwardly of the casing mouth, as at M, and the inner surface may be formed of a series of conical or like surfaces 32, joined by step formations 33.

The lamp globe is so held, in a position lying upon the axis of the casting A and extending away in right angular relation from the central portion of the diaphragm, that oscillations of the same laterally as well as forwardly and backwardly may be caused by jars or vibration incident to vehicle travel, due to temporary distortion of the rubber diaphragm, which usually is placed in a vertical position when the light is upon a road vehicle, while the axis of the lamp is horizontal, without injury to the filament or glass globe, the cushioning action of the supporting parts preventing any damage thereto; nor can the lamp globe ordinarily strike the cylindrical casing wall although such striking would not damage thelamp inasmuch as such wall acts as a cushion also. Toremove the lamp casing from the vehicle it is only necessary to loosen the clamping screw and withdraw the casing and combined parts through the loosened loop.

It will be understood that many changes and departures may be made from the specific disclosure herein without departing from the spirit of the invention and the terms of the following claims.

Having thus disclosed my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A courtesy lamp including a hollow body of resilient stiff soft rubber, drical in form and having an integral closure diaphragm at one end, the other end being open and having an internal peripheral. groove, said diaphragm having a central opening, a lens having a peripheral flange detachably seated in said groove, a lamp socket having a lamp holding portion located in the body, said socket having a reduced portion fitting the opening in the diaphragm and provided with a flange resting against the outer face of the diaphragm, and means supporting the body and adapted to be secured to a vehicle part.

2. A courtesy lamp includinga hollow body of resilient stiff soft rubber, said body being cylindrical in form and having an integral closure diaphragm at one end, the other end being open and having an internal peripheral groove, said diaphragm having a central opening, a lens having a peripheral flange detachably seated in said groove, a lamp socket having a lamp holding por tion located in the body, said socket having a reduced portion fitting the opening in the diaphragm and provided with a flange resting against the outer face of the diaphragm, said body having an external peripheral groove intermediate its ends, a stiffening and supporting ring seated in the last named groove, and a supporting leg extending from said ring.

3. A courtesy lamp including a hollow body of resilient stiff soft rubber, said body being cylinsaid body being cylindrical in form and having anintegral closure diaphragm at one end, the other end being open and having an internal peripheral groove, said diaphragm having a central opening, a lens having a peripheral flange detachably seated in said groove, a lamp socket having a lamp holding portion located in the body, said socket having a reduced portion fitting the opening in the diaphragm and provided with a flange resting against the outer face of the diaphragm, said diaphragm being thinner than the remainder of the body to yield readily under shocks, and means supporting the body and adapted to be secured to a vehicle part.

4. A courtesy lamp including a hollow body of resilient stifi soft rubber, said body being cylindrical in form and having an integral closure diaphragm at oneend, the other end being open and having an internal peripheral groove, said diaphragm having a central opening, a lens having a peripheral flange detachably seated in said groove, a lamp socket having a lamp holding portion located in the body, said socket having a reduced portion fitting the opening in the diaphragm and provided with a flange resting against the outer face of the diaphragm, said diaphragm being thinner than the remainder of the body to yield readily under shocks, said body having an external peripheral groove intermediate its ends, a stifiening and supporting ring seated in the. last named groove, and a supporting leg extending from said ring.

5. A clearance orlike lamp of the character disclosed including a hollow body of resilient-stiff soft rubber, said body being substantially cylindrical in form and having an integral closure diaphragm at one end, the other end being'open and having an internal peripheral groove, said diaphragm' having a central opening, a lens having 7 JOHN w. DAEHLER. Si 

